


Soothe

by CynicalRainbows



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Fluff, Insecurity, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sick Fic, Trust Issues, period fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27741289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynicalRainbows/pseuds/CynicalRainbows
Summary: Cathy is in pain. Anna and Catalina help.
Relationships: Catherine Parr & Anna of Cleves, Catherine of Aragon & Catherine Parr
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	Soothe

Cathy groaned and rolled onto her side, trying to move away from the pain that was currently ripping through her.

_Is this what childbirth felt like? Surely it can’t have been worse than this…._

She knew she was perhaps exaggerating a little- she knew, she KNEW it was just a period….but it was hard to keep reminding herself of that when the pain was enough to almost bring tears to her eyes.

She wondered if periods were somehow worse in the 21st century- she could have sworn it never hurt this badly back at court.

_Or maybe I just blocked it out._

Not that she would have received much sympathy from that quarter: her husband had had more than his fill of sick, ailing wives and ‘woman’s problems’. She was to be his final chance, his strong healthy wife who had lived long enough to prove her mettle, with none of the passions and fits and fancies of the women of his youth.

She was his easy wife, the one who brought him no problems but instead soothed his own.

_The more things change, the more they stay the same._

And now, hundreds of years later, here she was again: the easy one, the low maintenance one.

Easy-to-please Cathy, who needed only her laptop and a cup of coffee to be happy. Untroubled Cathy, without the trauma’s and nightmares that plagued the others.

_The survivor._

And so, when the mild cramping in her uterus had turned into agonising spasms, she’d hidden herself away in her room, and assured the others that it was ‘nothing really.’

Oh how she was regretting that now. Not that she could do anything about it: Actually sorry everything I said about being self sufficient was a lie, I’m actually quite lonely and scared and in pain and so if you could all just drop everything….

A quiet knock broke through her thoughts.

‘Mmmm?’

‘It’s just me mija-’

Cathy felt her spirits lift but as she was opening her mouth to reply, another cramp ripped through her and she gasped instead, doubling up.

‘Cathy?’

Catalina pushed into her room, looking worried and came straight to the bed, her hand cool against Cathy’s hot forehead.

‘Mija, are you alright?’

Cathy shook her head, screwing her eyes shut and biting her lip against the pain. She didn’t want to look pathetic in front of her friend godmother maternal figurehead…. She didn’t want to look pathetic in front of anyone but it hurt so badly, she couldn’t help her eyes tearing up.

‘J- just a period-’

‘It seems a bit more than that…’

Even as she shook her head, another cramp ripped through her and she winced. Catalina’s expression grew alarmed.

‘Querida, do you feel sick?’

Cathy nodded with the barest jerk of the head.

‘Is the pain on one side of your-’

‘Not appendicitis-’

‘Are you sure? Because-’

The worry in Catalina’s voice induced Cathy to crack open an eye. 

‘It’s-’ She winced; her voice was very quiet but her godmother leaned in to hear instantly. ‘It’s just period pain. Jane was right.’

‘Still-’ Catalina’s fingers threaded through her tousled hair gently. ‘It looks terribly painful mija.’

Cathy nodded. There was no point in denying it. Still, she had to keep up a front. She was the survivor after all.

‘I’m ok really- it….it hurts but I’m ok.’ She fought to keep her voice steady as she said it: even knowing that it’d be selfish to drag ANOTHER queen away from rehearsal on the same day that she was already out of action, the idea of being left all alone again to the pain and an empty house made her want to cry.

It reminded her too much of her first life- the long empty hours alone while her husband stewed and plotted and seethed and she waited on tenterhooks, and then the long painful hours after Mary was born, as she felt her strength sap slowly, her husband gone and no one left to care if she lived or died.

‘Ok.’

Catalina nodded and Cathy felt her heart sink. That was it? She was just going to take her word for it? She tried to keep the disappointment down as her godmother pressed a kiss to the top of her head and made for the door.

‘I’ll give the others a call-’

Before Catalina had left the room, Cathy could already imagine what the others would say- what the fans would say, to hear that she’d not only called in sich herself but dragged Catalina all the way back to the house for ‘just’ period pain.

What sort of survivor was she?

She managed to hold herself together until the footsteps down the hall died away before letting herself cry. This time, it wasn’t just from the pain. She buried her face into her pillow, feeling the bed shake with her silent sobs.

Always the same, no matter what life: she was destined to be alone. Alone and forgotten and abandoned and all because she was the strong one, she was the one who didn’t need care or love or support or anything at all, and that was good because she surely wasn’t going to get it, after all everyone knew she was the survivor, the one who didn’t need help because goodness knew nothing that bad had ever really happened to her….

‘Oh mija!’ A weight settled onto the edge of the bed next to her and the mattress dipped; a familiar hand smoothed stray strands of hair away from her face. ‘Is it very bad? Here, I’ve brought you some painkillers, let’s get you sitting up so you can take them-’

Cathy was too stunned to resist much as Kat gently eased her up to lean against her shoulder; automatically, she swallowed the pills and water handed to her and sniffled into the tissue that was pressed into her hand.

‘I- I thought-’

Her voice was husky with tears and Catalina frowned. ‘What is it mi vida? What did you think?’

Having to say it made her eyes sting all over again. 

‘I thought you LEFT-’

‘I did.’ Catalina looked puzzled ‘I had to get you the pills mija- why Jane insists we keep the medicine in the kitchen and not the bathroom I will NEVER know-’

‘No!’ It was hard to make herself understood as a fresh cramp made her writhe in Catalina’s arms but she made an effort. ‘I thought you LEFT.’

‘Oh!’ Catalina’s face cleared and then she looked horrified: the next thing she knew, Cathy was being swept up in her arms and bundled tightly against her chest. ‘Oh mija, no! Never! I just went to sort things out, to get the things you needed to feel better…. I never thought for a moment you’d think we were-’

‘We?’

‘Anna drove me back to check on you when we heard you weren’t coming in-’

‘Cathy?’ At that moment Anna appeared in the doorway, juggling a steaming mug and a hot water bottle. ‘Babes, what’s the matter, is the pain worse?’

‘She thought I’d just walked out on her!’ Catalina sounded anguished. ‘She thought I was just going to leave her alone-’

Oddly, it proved a curious sort of balm to Cathy’s wearied, lonely soul. To hear someone care that MUCH about hurting her….

Anna’s eyes went wide. ‘Oh Cath, really? Honestly, she just went to call us all in sick, to let the others know where we were, that you were sick and needed looking after, and to let me know what to fetch from downstairs…. We never for a second-’

‘’S ok-’ Still tucked into Catalina’s arms, Cathy felt her face heat up in humiliation and turned away, to hide it against her godmothers’s collar. ‘Not your fault. I was just being stupid, I’m sorry, I- I didn’t mean for you both to come, I didn’t want to cause any trouble, I-’

‘Hush.’ Catalina’s hand gently cupped the back of her head, smoothing down the flyaway hairs. ‘It’s all ok mija. Just a misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about. Ok?’

She nodded into Catalina’s chest.

‘And of course you’re not a bother-’ Anna joined in. ‘Honestly, the others wanted to come too except i think that would have pushed Joan over the edge. But it’s no trouble! We just wanted to check you were ok-’

Despite the reassurance, Cathy couldn’t quite raise her eyes. Surely they were both wearied of her overreactions by now. Shame bubbled in the pit of her stomach, a brief distraction from the pain.

Even so, she couldn’t help but feel a little comforted when another dip in the mattress told her that Anna had joined them on the bed too.

‘So I brought you a hot water bottle for your stomach and a cool flannel for your head- Catalina said you were a bit warm- and some hot chocolate, just because it probably won’t make you feel worse.’

‘Thank you, but you shouldn’t have-’

‘Well I did. Too late now.’ Blunt as Anna’s words were, Cathay could hear the gentle smile behind them. Catalina shifted her slightly in her arms.

‘How about we get you settled again so you can make use of them? Hm? I promise they’ll make you feel better mija.’

Reluctantly Catalina peeled herself out of Catalina’s embrace and peeped up- her godmother’s warm smile was reassuringly un-annoyed.

Maybe she really isn’t cross with me.

‘Now first things first- you can’t possibly be comfy with your duvet all tangled. Do you think you can stand if we help you?’

In less than five minutes, Cathy found herself being helped back into a freshly made bed. The hot water bottle helped soothe the sore muscles of her lower stomach, the flannel cooled her hot, tear-streaked face. Once she was safely in place, Anna and Catalina climbed up onto the bed either side of her; Catalina raised an arm and Cathy burrowed underneath, curling into her side and feeling rather like a baby chick being swept beneath a protective wing.

‘Better, mija?’

She nodded in Catalina’s cardigan and heard Anna’s soft chuckle.

‘Good. Now what can we do to take your mind off it all hm? Do you want to watch something on Netflix?’

Cathy shook her head, still burrowed; she didn’t really want to disturb the quiet peace that had settled over the room since the queens had entered.

‘I could read to you if you like.’

The suggestion seemed to take both Cathy AND Anna by surprise.

‘Really?’

‘Yes. If she- if YOU want.’

‘Do people even read aloud any more?’

‘Maybe you don’t.’ There was the hint of a teasing challenge in Catalina’s voice. ‘But I do.’

Cathy was about to tell Catalina not to worry, not to go to the trouble (because surely it WAS trouble)- but before she opened her mouth, she stopped herself. She couldn’t remember anyone- anyone EVER- offering to do something as tender as read aloud to her before. Not even as a child.

Catalina seemed to sense her hesitation. ‘Is that a yes mija?’

She nodded again, feeling her cheeks getting hot again as she did so. Even though Catalina had offered, taking her up on it still felt somehow presumptuous and demanding. Still….she also couldn’t quite bring herself to tell Catalina to stop.

‘Alright then. Anna, could you grab me something from the bookshelf?’ Cathy felt Catalina’s chuckle this time. ‘I seem to have a former monarch on me.’

(The arm holding Cathy to her tightened as she said it, even before Cathy could draw away in embarrassment and apologise.)

‘This do?’ Anna’s voice moved away and then came closer. ‘All she has are books about history and religion… Cath, when you’re better, we’re going to Waterstones, ok? Urgently. You need some light reading, I’m going to introduce you to the world of horror novels…’

‘That’s fine.’ 

Shifting slightly, Catalina drew Cathy infinitesimally closer and cleared her throat. Anna settled back onto the bed and Cathy felt a hand rubbing slow circles on her aching lower back. The relief was almost immediate- she had to fight the urge to purr.

‘Behold Lord how I come to you, a sinner sick and grievously wounded…’

Cathy peeped up- to catch Anna’s warm smile and Catalina’s absorbed expression- and then nestled back down. As her eyelids fluttered shut, she allowed the soft cadence of Catalina’s voice carry her away.

All was well.


End file.
